Ryder Cup thoughts lurking under the surface at The K Club

Rory McIlroy. Picture: Getty Images

Rory McIlroy might be in town to win his second Amgen Irish Open, but there was no hiding the fact that the Ryder Cup and the task facing Luke Donald’s troops at Bethpage Black is at the forefront of his mind.

While he might not be quite the same player who won at Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass and completed the career Grand Slam at the Masters, he made it clear that his thoughts are on getting his game and his mind in shape for what could be one of the most jingoistic Ryder Cups in the modern history of the event.

He’s already acclimatised to the Irish weather, but it’s getting a handle on the mindset required to overcome what are likely to be hostile American crowds that’s a priority for the entire squad.

“We spent the week in the west of Ireland, and it did not stop raining for 72 hours,” McIlroy joked of his preparations for this week.

“I guess that's a good way to acclimatise. Not really. Last time we were at The K Club, it was 30 degrees and sunny and beautiful. It doesn't look like it's going to be that this week. So we'll take what we can get.”

Europe will have to do the same at Bethpage Black in just over three weeks and it was telling that tennis fan McIlroy spent part of his Tuesday evening watching how Novak Djokovic overcame a partisan New York crowd pulling for the last American standing in the US Open quarterfinals.

For all his popularity in America, McIlroy knows that dealing with the US crowd will be key to Europe's chances of winning away from home for the first time since 2012 — a feat he ranks as one of the greatest in sports.

“I guess all we can do is control our response and our reaction to it,” McIlroy said. “I watched a little bit of Novak Djokovic last night playing in his match against Taylor Fritz. It was a very pro-American crowd. He's had to deal with it his whole life, whether it's playing against an American in New York or playing against Roger or Rafa.

“He came and spoke to us a little bit about that stuff last time in Rome. So maybe it’s about taking a leaf out of his book and channelling that energy the right way, but again, all we can do is control our reaction and our emotions to it. I think the less we play into it, the better it is for us.”

Europe features 11 of the 12 players who won in Rome, but while Donald, McIlroy, and Shane Lowry believe all 12 are far more accomplished than they were two years ago, giving Europe more versatility in their ranks, getting sharp for New York is paramount.

“Honestly, since The Open passed, it's the one thing I've really been looking towards and making sure my game is in the best possible shape,” McIlroy said. “Honestly, one of the greatest achievements in the game right now is to win an away Ryder Cup, and I think this European team has a great opportunity to do that.”

The Holywood star struggled to reframe his goals after winning the Masters, but the Ryder Cup has sharpened that focus, and the Irish Open and next week’s BMW PGA are key to that before the team gathers at Bethpage for a two-day reconnaissance mission.

“Look, I would love to add another W to the win column this year, but like it's not a necessity,” McIlroy said. “I'd love to get myself into contention and at least be a little bit sharper than I was at BMW and at the TOUR Championship.”

He added:  “These are two big weeks to make sure the game is sharp, but I think the only way to tell you're as sharp as you want to be is getting yourself in contention under pressure and the sort of business end of things on Sunday.

“I think it's important to do that. It's important to give myself a couple of chances to win.

“Ultimately, winning, that would be lovely, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary going into the Ryder Cup, but it would be great to at least feel really good about my game and looking ahead to Bethpage.”

As for Europe’s familiar line-up, McIlroy sees nothing but positives for his eighth Ryder Cup appearance against a formidable US side.

“They have a very strong team,” he said. “They're going to have a pretty raucous crowd on their side and on a golf course that a lot of them know pretty well from previous tournaments there. So make no mistake, we know we're up against it and we know we've got a tall task on our hands, but I love the team that Luke has assembled.”

While Ramus Hojgaard steps in for Nicolai, it could be argued that all 12 players have improved since 2023.

“I think when we went to Rome, you had some guys that were purely foursome players, some guys were purely fourball players,” McIlroy said. “I think now we have flexibility within that 12, whether it be foursomes or fourball, and changing the dynamics around a little bit.

“I think it's something that will offer the team more flexibility than we had in Rome.”

McIlroy pointed to Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre as a player who has become a force in the game since Rome, and Donald agrees that he now has more options.

“Definitely some of the profiles of some of the players have changed,” Donald said, singling out the Scot. “You just look at someone like Bob, who had a great Ryder Cup in Rome but was a little bit wet behind the ears in terms of what to expect. I think just someone like that, he's grown so much as a player. 

“A rookie playing for their first time, you're probably not going to risk them in foursomes, but with two years of experience under his belt now, he's improved as a player...

“Again, that's why I talk about it's not going to be exactly the same. It would be foolish of me to put exactly the same pairings out I did in Rome. The players are different; they have different strengths and different strategies.”

Lowry, too, has changed.

“Much more experience, again,” Donald said. “If anything, putting is the stuff that goes a little bit back and forward…He can be really, really good or it can be a little bit down. Again, you look at all these things and you try and find out the best way to use them.”

While he’s in Kildare to do well, Lowry is thinking of the bigger picture and New York.

“We prepare for big tournaments all the time, and you always have bigger goals ahead,” Lowry said, taking pains not to dismiss the Irish Open as “small”.

"I would love to win the Irish Open. I've been lucky enough to win one, and to win it as a pro as well would be amazing.

“I think like the big goal over the next month is to win the Ryder Cup. I think you bring it back to your day-to-day as a sportsman... Obviously I've got tomorrow in mind and the rest of the week, but I've also got the Ryder Cup in mind and the bigger goals in mind.

“You just look at that, but you take it day by day. That's how we live our lives.”